Pharaohs 2048 Preview
Team Should Improve Again (Fingers Crossed)
By Khepri Quraishi, Egypt Today Sports
January 31, 2048
OK, it’s still January. Yeah, it’s pretty early for a team preview. But I’ve been assured by a usually reliable source that no more free agents will be signed. There are no trades under discussion. (There have only been two trade discussions since the current GM arrived on scene, and they went nowhere.) There are no ringers hiding in the minor leagues beyond prospects Han-i Kim who is mentioned below and Wibawa Subadio who is years away from making the majors. Russian blood doping has been ruled out (I think). There are no untraceable steroids available to use.
So here goes.
Last season Cairo improved by 17 games from 53 wins to 70. The team has made improvements and should improve again.
The goal will be to win 81 games, another 11 game improvement, and reach the .500 plateau.
The stretch goal will be to win 84 and finish at 84-78. Pray for us.
Bring on Spring Training!
INFIELD
- Wally Geoghegan will get the nod at first base after agreeing to a hefty ($5.5 million) arbitration deal. By almost any standard that’s too much, but he won the Gold Glove, makes good contact, and can hit with some power. Alas, he’s fragile and someone else will have to fill in when he inevitably goes on the IL.
- Lawrence Blanchard is the obvious replacement if he, in fact, makes the roster; elsewise, he’ll have to be recalled from Pretoria. He’s more than adequate defensively and can hit for average, but he lacks the power you’d like in a first baseman.
- Newly acquired David Guerra most likely will start at second base. Assuming he gets the UMEBA bump in offensive stats, he’ll be fine. Defensively he looks outstanding. He could also move to first or third with no loss in defensive efficiency.
- Tyler Shacklady has been a disappointment offensively, but for some reason the team still has hopes for him at the bat. Defensively he is excellent at second base. If Guerra needs to move elsewhere, he’ll take over the keystone sack.
- Quintin Trewartha is the league’s gold glove shortstop as he approaches age 22. He hit close to .300 last year after a horrendous April, finishing at .263. Hopefully he breaks more sharply from the gate this year.
- Ron Ritchie joins the Pharaohs to take over the third base job from Francisco Hernandez. Hernandez wasn’t horrible, but Ritchie is faster, a better fielder, and a better contact hitter. He fizzled out at Yellow Springs, but hope Springs eternal in Cairo.
OUTFIELD
- Team MVP Michel Noël is a lock in center field. He’s the Platinum Stick holder at that position and is rock solid defensively.
- Eliseu Satino, last year’s left fielder, will be there again despite his defensive shortcomings or become the designated hitter. He led the league in doubles with 60.
- Guillermo Ramírez, last year’s designated hitter will hold that job again or play right field despite his defensive liabilities
- Freddy Ayala will start in either LF or RF depending on the aforementioned DH decision. He’s brilliant defensively no matter where he sets up, and he steals bases.
- Adam Adjo is adequate on defense at the corners but less capable than one likes in a defensive replacement. His .342 batting average last year was impressive and probably a one off. But that offense and his versatility (he can play the infield too) will keep him on the team.
- Pretoria (AAA) outfielder Owen Furlong has a shot at a fifth outfielder role. He would be the ideal defensive sub anywhere in the outfield and he hit .338 last year at Pretoria after being released by Yellow Springs in the BBA.
- Baden Goulding is another AAA guy with a chance for that fifth outfield job. After signing him to a minor league deal when he was released by Mumbai, Cairo opted to offer him arbitration rather than let him go to free agency.
- Diesel Dave is gone. I don’t think we have to mention his name anymore.
- António Ruíz has arrived. He won’t match Dave’s home run total, but he’ll get more hits, hit more doubles, and provide gold glove quality defense. He’s signed for two years.
- Ed Cooper was a revelation as a mid-season backup replacement. He hit .381 and did fine behind the plate. He certainly won’t match that average again. As a plus, he can also fill in at first base.
- Kelile Komen is down at Pretoria if he’s needed as a replacement. He’ll not provide the kind of offense or defense that the others do, but he’s a leader, a hard worker, smart, and loyal. You have to like those traits.
ROTATION
Lots of “what if” and “can he do it” and “has he got anything left” questions here.
- The hope is that 22-year-old Shea Valance is ready to be number one in the rotation. He faltered early last year, was demoted to the bullpen, but came on strong again in the rotation at the end of the season.
- Johan Trojka is a solid performer, and there is no reason not to expect him to do well, especially with an improved defense behind him.
- Free agent Drees Geestman is an established starter coming over from the BBA. But he’s 33. Has he still got enough in the tank to help this year, let alone for the three guaranteed years of his expensive contract?
- Chase Walter is a another giant free agency gamble. He’s been primarily a reliever in his BBA career, so it might be a stretch to expect him to be a starter every fifth day in the UMEBA. In any case, everyone loves watching him throw that world class changeup pitch.
- Miguel Ramos is pushing 37 years old, and he did not impress last year in his first UMEBA season. Sure, he won the BBA Nebraska Award in 2037, but it’s 2048 now. Can he rebound enough to be effective? Or will he be relegated to the pen or, in worse case scenario, released outright.
- Russian German Evdakov is a Rule 5 shot in the dark. On the plus side, he throws six different pitches, and he’s considered a leader. On the other hand, he has only three years at A ball and one in AA for experience. Maybe some blood doping help from the Russian Baseball Federation would help? No. That’s been ruled out. Should he fail to survive in the rotation or in the bullpen, he can be returned to Beirut but not sent to the minor leagues.
- Then there is the intriguing possibility presented by Han-i Kim. Last year’s number one draft pick debuted successfully at AA Chiriqui. The plan is (was?) to have him develop further at AAA Pretoria this coming season. But he will be at Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. There is a small but slowly growing consensus that he is ready for the bigs now. Maybe. Maybe not.
- Free agent signee Ramón Sánchez has an elite fastball and curveball. On paper he is the perfect closer for Cairo. One wonders, however, why he played for four different BBA teams over the past four seasons. We’re all holding our breath.
- Jorge Fuentes came over last year from the BBA and did an adequate job as the closer. He should be just as good or better as a setup guy.
- Arriving via the Rule 5 Draft, 23-year-old Fassil ‘Mon Dieu’ Maundu has never pitched above AA. Strangely enough, Cairo coaches seem to think he too can be an effective setup guy. We’ll thank God too if he just survives the double jump up to the majors.
- Robert Hobbs was probably the best Cairo reliever last year – 5-4 and 2.65 ERA in 85 games, mostly in a set-up role. He probably be the primary middle reliever this year if Maundu indeed gets the setup job.
- The rest of the pen could include any of the following:
- Fernando Carrasco – meh.
- José Olivas – meh.
- Jorge Olvera – meh.
- Miguel Ortíz – meh.
- Jorge Sandoval – meh.
- James Clayton – meh. Nice start in the final game of last season though.
Cairo slowly upped the ante on defense as the season progressed last year. This year the defense looks solid save for one position. There are returning gold glove winners at first base and shortstop. And there are gold glove candidates behind the plate, at second base, at third base, in center field, and at whichever corner outfield spot Freddy Ayala fills. The other corner outfield spot will be the weakest link defensively. The Pharaohs need to be sure to have the right guy on the bench to take over there in the late innings.
Wrap It Up and Hope for the Best. See you at the Guinness concession stand at Pyramid Park in March.
P.S.: Some day I hope Cairo will be able to make moves via trade. Cairo’s severely compromised minor league system and lack of major league players decent enough to elicit interest from other teams combine to make trading essentially an illusion at the moment.
There’s no harm in dreaming though lol. 
